New Sex Scandal Kicks 6 Turkish Political Leaders Out Of Office

The Turkish government is denying claims that it is behind a sex tape website that has forced 6 members of the opposition to resign, according to The Wall Street Journal.Six members of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) resigned on Saturday after the website Farkliulkuculer.com released a compromising tape of a party member. The website threatened to release more tapes of other men having extra-marital affairs.

Four other senior members of the MHP have already resigned from the party after previous threats. The website is now down while it is being investigated.

On Sunday Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of the government’s Islamic-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP) denied that his party was behind the website. “This is very ugly and dangerous,” Erdogan said at an election rally for his party in North-East Turkey, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

However, the AKP looks likely to gain from the website’s controversy. Erdogan is widely expected to win June’s elections for a third term in government. However, he needs a so-called “super majority” to be able to pass controversial reforms of Turkey’s constitution.

Some observers believe that only the government would have the resources for the plot.